Sam Sharpe

Sam Sharpe

He organised a peaceful down-tools style protest for Christmas 1831.
The protest tapped the pent-up aggression felt by the slave population and quickly turned in to a riot (later dubbed the "Christmas Rebellion").

Sharpe took responsibility for the Christmas Rebellion and was hanged for his role.
The rebellion is widely credited for accelerating the abolition of slavery across the British colonies shortly afterwards and Sam Sharpe was declared a national hero in 1975.